Geography of Venezuela

Geographically, the country of Venezuela is situated in the South American continent sharing its borders with Brazil on the south, Columbia onto the west and Guyana towards the east. Officially, known as the ‘Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela' the country of Venezuela is situated in the South American continent. Different theories have been woven around the origin of the name Venezuela as some believe that Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian merchant who led an expedition with his friend Alonso de Ojeda in 1499, found few indigenous people built villages over the marshy land, which invariably reminded him of the beautiful city of Venice. Thus, he coined the term ‘Venezuola' in Spanish. The geography of Venezuela is characterized by a vast stretch of coastline and extensive plains.

Bordering Countries of Venezuela ---
Vast areas of extensive coastline form a formidable part of the geography of Venezuela. Towards the east of Venezuela lies Guyana, Brazil onto the south while Columbia towards the west. Smaller countries like Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Barbados and Leeward Antilles lie onto the northern part of the country. Due to its close proximity to the Equator, it experiences extreme hot weather at certain times of the year.

Geographical Divisions of Venezuela---
Because of its wide ranging natural features, the landscape geography of Venezuela has been classified under different sub-heads depending on the varied climatic conditions prevalent in that part of the region. The northern region comprising of the Venezuelan Andes and the region of Coro is basically classified as a mountainous land due to the prevalence of many hills and valleys. The Central mountainous Range is comprised of a parallel coastline along with the surrounding hilly areas of Caracas. The Llanos region, regarded as one of the most populous region of the country, lies towards the north of the Orinoco River. South of it lies the Guiana Shield, which is primarily comprised of mysterious mountain ranges.

Climate---
The climate of Venezuela varies from place to place. There are seasonal climatic changes which bear a significant impact on the livelihood of people especially living in the rural areas. The average temperature in Caracas region is around 22° C whereas the area lying near the La Guaira experiences an average temperature of 27° C, almost all the year round. Venezuela's geographical climatic is usually divided into two seasons as the wet season, which begins from May to October and the dry season, which roughly starts from December and continues till March.

Wild Life of Venezuela--
The Venezuelan Llanos are the most popular animals in the country. Also other animals and mammals like different types of fish, reptiles, and amphibians are a common sight in any wild life sanctuary of the country. Capybara, dolphins caimans, Orinoco crocodile, anacondas, piranhas, stingrays, eels, giant rive etc are the best wildlife attractions in Venezuela.

Natural Resources of Venezuela---
Venezuela is home to some of the best natural resources of the world. Minerals such as iron ore, bauxite and gold are widely found in different parts of the country. However rich deposits of oil and petroleum found in specific areas are being used for varied purposes and invariably contribute to the rising economy of the country.

Furthermore, the geography of Venezuela remains incomplete without mentioning the major rivers of the region that considerably contributes to the fertility of the land. Some of the popular rivers and lakes of the region are Lake Maracaibo, Caroní River and the Orinoco River.